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This is a story I'm working on... I kinda felt like putting it up on here just to see what you (my friends) think of it... sweatdrop

A storm raged making the great trees moan and flail their branches. Rain came down pelting Ireland’s lush grasses. Everything had taken shelter from this brutal storm, but one lone figure.

The figure seemed to be of a young girl. She was drenched, her long hair plastered to her back and head, clothing sopping wet and torn. She seemed unnaturally thin like she hadn’t eaten in days, the girl stumbled and swayed with each gust of wind. Up ahead she could see lights, lights meant shelter. The frail girl started to run, any noise drowned out by the thunder and rain.

She was almost to the door when everything started to blur incredibly. She couldn’t seem to keep her balance either. Just at the door the young girl fainted… the storm slowly dispersed.
“By Heaven’s Sake! Get yer bum movin’ girl! Wake the Mistress.” a woman bent down and checked to see if the girl was still breathing.

The Mistress came down quickly her curly red hair tousled. “What ye be wakin’ me up fer so early?” The lady’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline. “What she be doin’ fainted on our doorstep?” The woman shrugged and scooped up the starved girl.
“Don’t know but she looks t’ be a drowned rat.” the younger maid spoke up before clamping her mouth shut by throwing her hand over it. The lady of the castle’s lips twitched upwards in amusement.
“Get goin’ then. Get ‘er inside and out of them clothes.”

The older maid nodded and disappeared into the castle. The younger one followed, her short braided hair swinging as she ran after.
“So, who was that?” A deep voice spoke from behind her left shoulder. The lady jumped turning around. It was just her husband, and Lord of the castle. He was dark despite his pale skin and blonde hair. She liked that though, it made him mysterious.
“Some starved lass fainted on our doorstep in the storm las’ nigh.” She said pushing some renegade curls out of her face. He nodded, his eyes checking the road casually, they rested on a patch of weeds momentarily.
“C’mon love, breakfast is about to be served.” was his simple reply. He took her hand and led her inside, the great doors closing behind them with a slight bang.

When the door closed a tall lanky young man suddenly sat up from within the inspected weeds. He held his messy brown haired head in gloved hands.
“Aaah sheet… Whiskey’s got some helluva kick.” As he stood it revealed him to be a stable hand judging his attire anyway. He rubbed at his face again, slowly making his way to the stables. The rather tall beanstalk frame disappearing amongst the trees.

The lady sighed setting down her fork and knife. She turned and beckoned to the young maid.
“Maria, tell the artisans that I would like to speak with them at tea.” she ordered, quietly. Maria nodded, bowed and said “ Yes, Milady Mallerie.”
Lady Mallerie rolled her eyes shaking her head.
“Now darlin’ just Mallerie when we don’t have guests. I don’t like the formal crap we have to deal wit’.” She retorted, sending a wry look at her husband. He looked liked he was trying to hold back a laugh, choking in the process.
“Sir Luke? You need water?” asked Maria, slightly worried that the lord was choking to death.
“Ah, he’ll be al’ight.” dismissed the older maid thumping him on the back. “Maybe he’ll learn t’ not laugh with his gob full.” she joked.
“Cori.” warned Mallerie, eyeing her friend. Cori shrugged and walked off.
“Oh yea, the fainted lass is up in the smaller guest room on the second floor.” added Cori disappearing into the kitchen. She was probably getting some wine for the two.

“About that,” added Luke in his quiet voice. He was adjusting his collar, which he mussed trying to stop his choking. Mallerie only raised one eyebrow to show she was listening.
“When she’s awake. If we keep ‘er, she’ll have t’ stay with the girls.” Luke motioned towards Maria. She blinked owlishly, her head coming back from the clouds they were in.
“Why’s that?” Mallerie asked, one elbow on the table propping her chin up.
“…Guests.” grumbled Luke, pushing his plate away and accepting a glass of wine from a shorter maid with brown hair in pigtails. Mallerie took the other glass and sipped from it daintily.
“Oh bloody hell. Who’s it this time?” growled the red headed lady.
“Napoleon and Christine.” growled out the increasingly irritated blonde lord.
Maria and the pigtail maid winced. Those two weren’t exactly their favorite of guests.
“s**t.” simultaneously groaned Cori and Mallerie. The two looked at each other and grinned slightly. They were good friends despite the squabbles and status.
“We’ve got a month.” Luke added, he was standing and smoothing out his tunic. “And I plan on enjoying some hunting or falconing today. So, you’ll be alone for now.” Luke walked up and kissed Mallerie’s forehead before striding off.

The two young maids looked at each other shrugging. Together they started to clear the table. Cori took the moment to not let some wine go to waste, sipping up the remains of Luke’s glass.

Up on the second floor there was a smaller guest room tucked neatly into the end of the hall. The guest room was a bit plain, having a large canopied bed, dresser, vanity mirror and a bedside table with a small lantern. There in the bed lay the fainted girl, her hair pulled into a braid and in a dry nightgown. The covers were still placed up to her chin revealing she hadn’t moved aside from breathing.

“Calm down Maria, we’re jus’ checking t’ see if she’s woken up, tha’s all.”
The door handle turned downwards with a small click. Slowly, with a slight creak the heads of Maria and the short pigtailed maid came into view peeking curiously over at the bed.
“Um, Lauren I think she’s still out.” Maria replied her dark eyes focusing on the unmoving form, her short braid dangling in Laurens face causing her to sneeze.
“Sorry.” she replied holding onto the braid while Lauren moved farther into the room.

The girl was a pale thing, with long hair that most likely reached her hips. Her hair was dark, even darker than Lauren’s and Maria. Upon a closer inspection she had faint freckles going across her cheeks and nose.

“Lauren, we should go b’fore Cori finds out. She’ll make us clean the whole kitchen again!” Maria hissed, tugging on her friend’s sleeve. Lauren however swatted off the hand and grinned.

“I’m gonna wake her up, and we can tell Cori t’ stuff it and she was awake b’fore we came in.” Lauren added reaching out to wake the sleeping girl when the very girl twitched.
The girl frowned screwing up her eyes with a groan before slowly opening them. They were green, well not completely there was some brown mixed in.
“Nn, where am I.. Who’re you?” she asked, blinking slowly trying to regain her orientation. Slowly she squirmed sitting up and holding her head.

The two girls stood there eyes wide, Lauren’s hand still half reached towards the awakened girl.
“Urm…. I’ll go get Cori!” Lauren yelped dashing out of the door before poor Maria could blink. “Keep an eye on her!” Lauren shouted back towards the door.

“Wha…Um…” the girl blinked rather confused at having waking up somewhere she didn’t know with two girls her age standing over her. One ready to shake her awake and then running off rather scared.

Maria looked around the room rocking back and forth on her heels, a small smile on her face as she sort of stared off into space. It was a bit of a bad habit for the girl, caused her to miss quite a few things.

“Um.. Aren’t you goin’ t’ answer my question?” asked the pale girl, leaning back into the pillows and patting the blankets, a little amazed at the softness.
“No no, I’m not good at the explaining things. Yer explanations are comin’. ” Maria replied waving her hand vaguely at the door behind her, the vague smile still on her face.
“But.. I want answers now.” was the reply as the girl raised an eyebrow at Maria’s mannerisms.
“… Well, see Cori’s comin’ and she’ll do the answering…” Maria half whined pointing at the door again. There was an awkward pause before Maria blinked and sort of noticed something she didn’t see before.
“Your hair’s very long.” she said, pointedly staring at the long braid. Frowning the brunette patted her hair.
“And yours is very short.” she retorted with a similar expression to Maria’s. Maria blinked and patted her own hair rather surprised she managed to get it braided at all.
“…No really, where am I and what am I doing here?” asked the rather bemused girl.
“Eheheh… Explanations soon.” was all that Maria half chuckled nervously, when the door banged open and the short (yet formidable) maid stomped in. Lauren following sheepishly.
“See here’s your answers!” Maria added cheerfully waving a hand at the irked Cori. Cori surveyed what was going on, whirled and stomped back out with a curt.
“Keep yer eye on ‘er! I’m getting’ the Mistress!”
“….Or not..” sighed Maria, her hand raised to scratch at her cheek.
The girl huffed, laying even farther back into the pillows to sulk. She semi-glared around the room before straightening and pointing at Lauren.
“Hey! You- uh.. With the pigtails!” she exclaimed, startling Maria out of the clouds again. Lauren’s head turned, one eyebrow raised in a sort of ‘What?’ expression.
“What the blinkin’ heck’s going on?!”